Plum tree, how to have great plums

Plum tree is magnificent from spring to fall, and offers abundant harvests of plums.

Main Plum tree facts

Name – Prunus domestica
Family – Rosaceae
Type – fruit tree

Height – 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 m)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – rich enough

Foliage – deciduous
Flowering – March-April
Harvest – July to September

Planting, pruning and care are important to avoid diseases and ensure that your plum trees develop well.

Read also:

• Health benefits and therapeutic properties of plums
• History, cultivation and how to cook plums

Planting a plum tree

Favor planting in fall or in spring but avoid freezing temperatures.

Remember that for all fruit trees, the best period for planting is fall, because this season has the highest success rate for root development in spring.

• Plum trees prefer locations with a rather high exposure to sunlight to give good plums.
• Think ahead: your plum tree will grow to its adult size within a few years, and it needs space to grow.
• Over the first weeks, water regularly as long as it doesn’t freeze.
• It’s better to water during the day, since nights tend to be much cooler.
• To ensure good development for your plum tree, refer to our guidelines for planting.

Pruning a plum tree

For a plum tree, pruning fulfills two functions: caring for the tree itself, and enhancing fruit harvest.

General pruning principles

It’s recommended to prune only what is strictly necessary because plum trees are delicate and wounds make it vulnerable to diseases.

After each cut, apply pruning paste like pine tar to protect the wood from fungus and other diseases.

Directional pruning

Nonetheless, you may perform directional pruning in the first year to shape the structure of the tree.

• Directional pruning is performed in winter but not during freezing weather.
• The goal here is to thin out the shoots from the trunk to end up with 3 or 4 main branches facing outwards.
• Like all pit trees, especially the cherry tree, pruning is performed at the end of the summer or in the beginning of fall.

After having harvested the plums

Maintenance pruning is performed in winter but not during freezing weather.

• Once you have harvested the plums, remove dead wood and fragile branches.
• Remove fruits that haven’t fallen from the tree – they are often diseased – and destroy them.
• Also, remove suckers, which are those shoots that emerge at the base of the tree. These suckers draw sap from the tree and will not produce any fruits.

After pruning, using pruning paste helps avoid infection due to fungus and diseases.

Diseases and parasites that attack plum trees

Plum trees, like most fruit trees, are vulnerable to multiple diseases and parasites.

Again, aphids are the plum tree’s most common enemy. Here is how to fight aphids efficiently.

As a deterrent against aphids, several organic treatments are available such as spraying fermented stinging nettle tea or fermented horsetail tea. Both help reinforce the plum tree’s defense mechanisms and also help it avoid certain types of fungus.

Also, if fungus such as plum rot (European brown rot) or rust appear, there are specific treatments that can be applied.

• Here is how to react in case of rotting fruit on the tree.
• Here is how to react in case of yellowing leaves that take on deep yellow or red-orange hues before falling off.

Other insects and diseases that attack plum trees

• Scab – brown spots appear on fruits and leaves.

Harvesting and keeping plums

Harvesting usually takes place in summer, but when exactly depends on the type of plum tree and on the local climate.

When purchasing plum trees, try to select varieties that are adapted to your local climate. This will guarantee that you will have a great harvest at the right time.

It is important to not let the fruit ripen for too long on the tree because it starts rotting and falls to the ground.

• The earliest plum varieties can be harvested at the beginning of summer. Among them is the Golden Japan, which many love for its delicious yellow flesh.
• Mid-early plums are harvested in August. Among these is the famed ‘True Reine-Claude’ greengage variety.
• Mid-late plums and late plums are harvested at the end of the summer. Within this group is the ‘Reine-Claude de Bavay’ greengage variety.

 

Keeping plums

Sadly, it is very difficult to keep plums for very long. That’s why it is often recommended to eat them quickly.

• Shelf-life can be slightly extended by keeping the fruits in the refrigerator.
• Avoid handling them too much and don’t stack them since plums are very fragile.

Learn more about plum trees

Plum trees are fruit trees, and their fruits are both eaten fresh as plums or preserved in various manners such as jams, liquor, pastries or simply desiccated as dried prunes are, a specialty in the French region of Agen.

Plum trees are also grown as ornamental plants since their blooming is generous at the beginning of spring and their foliage stays appealing until the leaves fall off.

Fruit-bearing will be greatly enhanced if manure is added at the base of the tree in fall, and if fruit tree fertilizer is added in spring.

Which plum variety produces nice fruits

All plum trees, be they ‘Mirabelles’, ‘Damsons’, ‘Valor’, ‘Miraclaude’ or ‘Thames Cross’, give fleshy fruits with high vitamin C, calcium, and mineral content.

Yellow-orange ‘Mirabelles‘ stand out from blue-colored ‘Damsons‘. These varieties are often cooked for dessert.

The plum used to prepare the famed Agen dried prune is the ‘Prune d’Ente‘.

Mix different varieties in order to enhance pollination and hence productivity. This is called cross-pollination.

If you only plant one plum tree, choose a self-pollinating variety such as ‘Prune d’Ente’, ‘Mirabelles’ or ‘Damsons’.

 

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